NAPE Public Policy Update
Perkins V news
President Signs FY19 Appropriations Bill That Includes $70 Million Increase for Perkins
On September 26 a "minibus" FY19 appropriations package was signed into law that includes a $70 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act's Basic State Grants, the first such increase in many years.

"NAPE is encouraged by the bipartisan efforts of Labor-HHS Appropriations and the Congress to increase FY19 funding for Perkins Basic State Grants," says NAPE CEO Ben Williams, PhD. "This value-added investment will help provide NAPE's state members with the means to increase student access to high-quality CTE programs while fostering educational equity and ultimately workforce diversity."

Williams also notes, "We are also pleased that Congress sees the value of making a needed investment to improve college affordability by increasing the Pell grant program." The maximum Federal Pell Grant for the 2018-19 award year will be $6,095, which is an increase from the 2017-18 maximum of $5,920.

NAPE looks forward to working with its state members, coalition partners, and the U.S. Department of Education to facilitate the implementation of Perkins V and to utilizing the resources provided by Congress to continue to build educator's capacity, expand student access, and offer equitable options in CTE. Read More >>
Administration
Education Department Says It Will Miss Key Deadline for Higher ED Regulatory Rollbacks  (Courtesy of Politico)
The Trump administration says it will miss a key deadline to publish its rewrite of a package of regulations governing loan forgiveness for students at defrauded colleges and mandatory arbitration agreements. Education Department officials had previously planned to finalize its proposal to overhaul the rules, known as "borrower defense to repayment," by November 1, so that they could take effect by next July. Read More >>

Student Loan, Gainful Employment Rules Delayed, Official Says 
(Courtesy of Bloomberg Government News)
The Education Department will miss a crucial deadline to finalize a regulation on forgiving loans made to students who say colleges used deceptive recruiting, potentially giving those students an extra year of debt forgiveness under more lenient standards. The delay comes after the department received more than 38,000 comments on its draft "borrower defense" regulation and needed more time to review them, a Trump administration official. Read More >> 
 
Betsy DeVos Launches Four-State 'Rethink Schools' Tour 
(Courtesy of Ed Week)
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is embarking on her second back-to-school road trip since taking over the department. This year's theme is the same as last year's: "Rethink Schools." DeVos will swing by four states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Read More >>

Education Department Holds Back $4M from Chicago Schools Over Sexual Violence 
(Courtesy of Politico)
The Education Department is withholding $4 million in federal funds from Chicago Public Schools because of the district's failure to adequately address sexual violence in schools, the Chicago Tribune reports. The withheld funds are part of a larger, multi-year federal grant to help establish and operate magnet schools. Read More >> 
 
DeVos Investigates Whether School Transgender Bathroom Policy Led to Sexual Assault 
(Courtesy of Politico)
The Trump administration is investigating whether a Georgia school district's policy allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice led to the sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. The investigation in Decatur, Ga., which opened last month, signals a major development in Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' controversial policies on transgender bathroom access in schools and her handling of civil rights enforcement for transgender students. The agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Read More >>  
Other news
Are States Shirking ESSA Responsibilities?
(Courtesy of Alliance for Excellence in Education)
Are states shirking their responsibilities around two of the Every Student Succeeds Act's (ESSA) most important provisions for historically underserved groups of students? A new analysis by the Alliance for Excellence in Education (All4ED) says yes. Read More >>

Learning Policy Institute Holds Senate Briefing on Strengthening the Educator Pipeline: Evidence-Based Approaches to Teacher and Leader Preparation 
(September 25, 2018 photo courtesy of Lisa R. Ransom)
Learning Policy Institute CEO Dr. Linda Darling Hammond lead an informative briefing on building a strong teacher profession and aligning teacher and leadership preparation with the 21st century. Read More >>

Class-Action Lawsuit Launched Against Student Loan Servicer Navient over PSLF: Firm Misled Borrowers about Loan Forgiveness to Line Pockets 
(Courtesy of the American Federation of Teachers)
A class-action suit filed in federal court sets out serious allegations that student loan servicer Navient has misled borrowers in public service professions from accessing a loan forgiveness program to boost its own profits. The landmark complaint, which seeks millions in damages and class-wide injunctive relief, details a spate of systematic misrepresentations, untruths and misdirection pedaled by Navient to stop borrowers from enrolling in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a 10-year payoff plan administered by rival servicer FedLoan. As a result, teachers, nurses, first responders, social workers and other people who have dedicated their lives to helping others are paying millions more than they otherwise should in student loan payments. Read More >> 
NAPE Perkins V resources
This fall, NAPE will collaborate with Advance CTE, ACTE, and the American Association of Community Colleges in four Perkins V Regional Planning Meetings, which will occur around the country between late October and early December. These meetings will be an important opportunity for state directors and their teams to learn about the new law, collaborate with partners and peers, and begin to map out their transition plans.